Al 'Tir Islands

Above: the limited edition of 4 notes of Al 'Tir, limited to 50 sets, with numerous extras added such as hologram, hand numbering, embossing. The bottom picture shows the reverse on this first edition release.

AL 'TIR ISLANDS

Scientists discovered remains of a lost continent in the Indian Ocean.This is "old news" to people who still live at the middle of thiscontinent.

We know the legends of Atlantis. Atlantis still remains a legend yet to beproven. This smaller continent is not fully out of sight, not entirelyunder water. The nations of Mauritius, The Seychelles and Madagascar andmany tiny dots of land in between, plus some Indian Ocean isles withunfavorable climates, (too close to the South Pole), comprise the formercontinent. This group claims many stories of Atlantis describe theirhomeland.

Scientists say, over a million years ago, the "lost continent" bubbledunder the sea. These islanders mentioned above disagree. They claimbetween 6,000 and 8,000 years ago the land suffered extreme earthquakesand volcanoes. The islanders say their homeland may be a million yearsold, but it was only 6,000 to 8,000 years ago when the land sank below thewaters of the Indian Ocean.

Islanders speak of a prosperous, highly-advanced people of various races,with a race of "super people", tall and strong, called giants. Islanderssay religious writings hint at events that are a part of their oral history. Theseinclude the race of giants in Noah’s day, before the earth’s flood. Theypoint to Goliath as a possible survivor. Noah's story of a worldwide-floodand escape aboard a large ship mirrors the plight of the royal family fromthis "lost continent".

(We do not claim the similar storyline is Biblical, nor do the islanders.They only discuss similar details.)

These islanders claim their ancestors were seafarers who roamed the watersof the world. They traded around the globe, and earned great wealth.

The land of this "lost continent" had abundant natural resources. Thosewho lived there spoke about the international humanitarian aid theyprovided in times of calamity, (no matter where on earth the needexisted.) They studied the stars and were great thinkers. Great importancewas paid to those who invented new ways to make life easier. Many of theirinventions predate what other men created in the past 200 years. And,peace seemed to prevail although the continent exercised substantialinfluence around the world.

They claim references to the "Garden of Eden" describe life on thecontinent where every need was met.

Many species of animals that seem out of place were frequently native tothe lost continent. Islanders believe the The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) wasrevered on the continent. The loss of the Dodo's habitat drove them fromthe continent and most-likely extinction.

Oral history says earthquakes followed by volcanic eruptions claimed thelost continent. Some islanders say the earthquakes were caused by "a starthat crashed to earth" or an asteroid. The earthquakes destroyed thecontinent and killed most people who lived there.

The royal family and entourage escaped while their subjects perished.Legends say the royal family sailed from a point believed to be what isnow Europa Island, a plateau high in the mountains sliced by acomma-shaped valley. As eruptions continued, the family and entourageheaded south to the once lush, wet and tropical Ile aux Cochons area.

The royal family sailed from the doomed land, and took refuge oceans away.They came back and found their royal home, was now 16 very tiny dots ofland barely above the water.

These tiny islands are known today as the Cargados Carajos Shoals.

Oral history claims volcanic ash covered the earth, and the heat from thevolcanic activity caused portions of the earth to suffer. In many areaspopulations starved and died. Legend speaks of heat, no fresh water, burntvegetation, and dead aquatic animals. Fish literally "cooked" in theheated water. In many areas of earth all life died.

The earth returned to a normalized state, the royal family and theirservants returned to find their land, and people gone. There were only afew peaks of the former mountain habitat above the water. The lack of landabove the surface did not discourage the people who were called "the godsof the sea." They resettled and chose to subsist on what remained.

The remnants of the royal family and entourage live on a group of 16 tinyislands. Satellite photos show these islands are scattered over anunderwater ridge some 15 miles long and up to 4 miles wide.

The islanders claim a number of islands currently under the rule ofrecognized nations. These include Agalega, Cargados Carajos, Europa, Ileaux Cochons, the Crozet Islands, the Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova,Bassas da India, Tromelin, Banc du Geyser and several underwater reefs.The islands lie on a straight line north to south. Madagascar is wedged inthe center. It is noteworthy that Madagascar is not claimed. Mostislanders say the people of Madagascar, the Seychelles and Mauritius arenot original inhabitants, thus the islanders do not exercise a claim onthe nation. (Some skeptics argue the reason Madagascar is not challengedis because of the 22 million people to defend their claim. The islandershave a population of only 502 scattered over 11 of the 100 claimedislands.)

The islands are not policed nor administrated by the islanders. Thisplaces their claim in dispute. As the islanders speak of the claim, theystate these islands were once under their distant ancestor’s rule, and areroyal, sacred lands. Locals refer to the erection of lighthouses,weather stations, and scientific study encampments, as intrusions and add,“The land does not belong to them. They are squatters”.

It seems this tiny group of seafaring-island-dwellers want to berecognized, possibly as a nation if only by their own assertion. Certainlytheir claims require more than their oral history to establishcredibility.

MONEY

We don't know much about their money. Oral history says the leaderscreated the concept of metal used to trade for goods. The traditions saymetals weighed less, and were less bulky than raw goods, thus islanderslearned to trade small amounts of colorful metal for raw materials. Thatis when their commerce began to flourish.